County schedules special session to sign pending $8 million‑plus jail design‑build contract
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Summary
Harney County Court arranged a special session the next day to sign a design‑build jail contract (reported at roughly $8,000,200), saying final county‑court approval is required to release funding to the contractor and allow preconstruction work to proceed.
Harney County Court discussed a pending design‑build contract for a new jail and arranged a special session Dec. 4 to execute the agreement.
Speaker 2 said attorneys have been finalizing a contract for the jail construction, and because the contract total exceeds the threshold requiring county‑court approval, the court agreed to convene a short special session the following morning to sign the finalized document. Speaker 2 cited a contract amount described in the meeting as approximately $8,000,200 plus additional thousands; the exact final figure was not read into the record.
Court members confirmed availability for a brief late‑morning session so preplanning and design work already under way can proceed. Speaker 2 said some preplanning and design work are ongoing but that contractors are reluctant to continue without a signed contract. No formal vote was required at the regular meeting because the court agreed to schedule a special meeting for signature only.
Next steps: The court will meet in special session to sign the contract. Once executed, standard county procurement and construction oversight processes will apply.